Lickety Split / 2nd State Lounge - Bar Rescue Update - Open or Closed?

In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Lickety Split in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lickety Split is owned by former detective Tom Gaylord.

He retired from the force and cashed in his 401k to buy Lickety Split in 2003.

Lickety Split quickly became a Philadelphia hotspot.

To cope with all the horrendous things Tom has seen while being on the force, he started drinking.

As the drinking got out of control, so did Tom’s behavior.

Bartender Coco says that Tom’s drinking gets him in trouble.

The staff are fed up with Tom’s behavior as his actions drove customers away.

Tom’s daughter Laura made the call for help to Bar Rescue.

For the kitchen, Jon brings in expert chef Frank Pinello.

For the bar, Jon brings in expert bartender Phil Wills.

Jon says that Philadelphia gets around 39 million tourists a year.

Jon says Vegas only gets around 44 million, so there is huge potential.

17,500 people a day walk past Lickety Split.

However, the outside of the bar has nothing that makes customers want to go into the bar.

Jon tells Frank that he wants him to do the recon tonight with a tourist named Dorothy.

Lickety Split is a 3,000-square-foot, two-story space.

There is one bar upstairs and another bar and display kitchen downstairs.

Jon calls Laura to ask if she wants to come to the SUV to talk.

Laura says that Tom is in debt around $110,000.

She says he can keep the bar open for three more months.

There’s a drink called “Pink Vagina,” and Tom thinks that it’s hilarious.

Jon says that this drink is going to be the first one to go.

Jon says this bar has a median tourist age of 42-years-old.

Yet the bar has a lot of drinks that are more targeted towards college students.

Dorothy and Frank order pizza but it is huge and super greasy.

The cheese steak that Frank ordered doesn’t taste fresh and there’s a lot of grease in the dish.

He says that it feels greasy and nasty.

Dorothy and Frank go upstairs to see if it’s any better.

Tom has had three beers so far and is offending women, especially his staff.

He calls one of his bartenders white trash.

Jon decides now is the time to walk in the bar and get to work.

Jon scolds Tom for his behavior, especially degrading his staff.

Bartender Ally says she’s tired of being treated this way.

Jon asks the staff to talk to Tom about how he talks to them.

Coco is crying because she feels bad for him.

Jon makes Tom a deal, in order for him to rescue this bar Tom will have to stop drinking on the job.

He tells them to close the bar for the night.

Jon brings in his experts the next morning and introduces them to the staff.

Jon says they have a lot of work to do for stress test.

The beer is far too warm and is at 69 degrees.

Jon says this is bad because the gases in the beer affects the flavor of the beer and it foams up once you cross 39-40 degrees.

The temperature in the fridges also isn’t cold enough.

Tom shows them the dough they keep in the walk in down in the basement.

Jon says everything will have to be thrown away.

Frank shows the cooks the proper way to make delicious pizza.

Phil shows the staff better versions of their drinks but without the offensive names.

He has them practice making the drinks until they get it right.

Phil says it’s going to be a rough stress test tonight if they can’t get it together.

Jon says he wants to see Tom sober and helping out the staff as a manager.

Lickety Split opens up for stress test.

The upstairs bar is empty, so they try to get more people to go there.

The systems for the tickets are really bad.

Jon says they need POS systems.

Bartender Sam is struggling with anxiety and she tells Phil that she’s going home.

Tom says that he needs a beer but quickly changes his mind and says he needs a water.

Jon tells Tom to shut the bar down for the night so they can have a meeting.

Tom says that he feels like Sam was a coward tonight.

Jon tells Tom good job for not having a beer.

The next morning, Jon meets with Tom to discuss what is holding him back.

Jon brings in Dr Eric Levin, who specializes in PTSD.

Tom admits that he does want to change and says he will give Dr Eric a call to further his treatment.

Phil shows them drinks that will be added to the new menu including the Pizza Mary and the Second State Punch.

Frank shows them some signature dishes that will be added to the new menu including a Philly cheesesteak.

Jon goes over the remodel with Tom and Laura and construction begins on Lickety Split.

Jon meets with the staff the next evening to show them their new bar.

Lickety Split has been renamed and is now called Alleged Bar and Pizza and 2nd State Lounge.

The staff goes into the bar to see the remodel.

Coco says that everything in here is the best and they’re going to make some money.

Jon installed a draft beer system, a pizza station and Revention POS systems.

The staff are so excited to open the bar.

Alleged Bar and Pizza and the 2nd State Lounge opens up for the first time since remodel.

On relaunch, the customers are so excited to be in this bar.

Jon says that Tom is showing some leadership now.

Food is coming out great and the cocktails are a huge hit.

Phil says that the bartenders are actually making money now.

They are at full capacity right now.

In an hour, they took $1,200.

Jon hugs Tom and says that his $110,000 debt is as good as gone.

Tom says he appreciates Jon and his daughter and that he is excited to meet his grandson.

What Happened Next at Lickety Split / 2nd State Lounge?

Six weeks later, the bar continues to undergo changes.

Tom continues to seek help for this PTSD.

Laura gave birth to a baby boy.

Tom wasn't happy with a number of the changes that Jon made.

He removed most of the specials and the Alleged Pizza bar.

The bar kept the name 2nd State Lounge and returned the comedy nights and live music.

Lickety Split / 2nd State Lounge closed in October 2015.

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This post was last updated in February 2022.